Tromso to Skjervoy: Whale Watching RIB Safari & Transfer

4.55

(129 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We’d barely left Tromso when the landscape started to change—icy blue fjords, snow stacked on every branch, and those sharp mountains that make you feel tiny. Our guide, Erik, had this way of pointing out things I’d never have noticed: reindeer tracks in the slush by the road, a patch of sky turning pink over Skjervoy. The drive itself felt like part of the adventure, honestly. I kept my gloves on even inside the van—maybe I’m just soft, but that cold creeps in fast up here.

Getting into the thermal suits at Skjervoy was almost comical—everyone waddling around like penguins. The RIB boat looked smaller than I expected (max 12 people), but once we set off, it made sense. You’re right there with the water smacking your cheeks and that salty Arctic smell hitting you hard. At one point, Erik cut the engine and we just floated. Silence except for our breathing and then—out of nowhere—a spout. First an orca fin slicing through grey water, then a humpback rolling its back so close I could see barnacles clinging on. I didn’t expect to feel so exposed and alive at once.

Lunch was simple but warm (soup and bread—I swear it tasted better after all that wind). Someone asked about whale migration and Erik explained how they follow herring up here every winter; he’s been doing this for years, knows their patterns almost like family. There was laughter too—someone tried to pronounce “Skjervoy” right and failed spectacularly (I’m not judging; I still can’t say it properly). On the way back, everyone was quiet in that good way where nobody wants to break whatever just happened out there.